ENVIRONMENT – TREE PLANTING – MISANGO HILLS

THE CHALLENGE

In 1963, forests covered 10% of land in Kenya. By 2009 that number had dropped to 1.7%, and land degradation has continued to take place since then.

OUR APPROACH

Improving the environment, the biodiversity and soil health has always been an important mandate of SOFDI’s activities. Because healthy ecosystems are the best way to ensure productive agriculture and nutritious food, we feel it is our duty to incorporate this mission in all of our training.

Over the last years we have intensively worked with and trained over 3,000 farmers and 35 schools in improved agriculture techniques. Environmental awareness has always been part of our training to contribute to the conservation of the environment for generations to come.

Based on our bottom-up and holistic approach, we have trained and supported our farmers and schools in the production of tree seedlings. We strongly emphasize the importance of growing trees to be planted on farms, in the school demonstration gardens, for sale, and to rehabilitate Misango Hills. Trees planted include a variety of indigenous trees, fruit trees, shade trees, medicinal trees, so called fertilizer trees, fodder trees, trees for better pollination, for wind breaking, for soil improvement, production of trees for construction, for energy and more.

Being only a small organization, we are very proud to say that over the years our interventions to improve the environment have been borne fruit. The number of trees grown by our many farmers and school children amounts to about 2 million tree seedlings. With the present fast growth of our activities, this number will increase further.

“FORESTS ARE THE BASIS OF WATER CATCHMENTS IN KENYA. THEIR DESTRUCTION INCREASES PRESSURE ON A POPULATION GRAPPLING WITH HUNGER, WATER SHORTAGE, AND POWER SHORTAGE. FORESTS ARE IMPORTANT FOR PROTECTING ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, REGULATING CLIMATE PATTERNS AND ACTING AS CARBON SINKS.”